FSX Fails To Start After Install Of Piper J3 Cub + Accusim

[rbrooke]

I purchased, downloaded, unzipped and installed the Piper J3 Cub package, followed by the same procedure for the J3 Accusim extension. Trying to start up FSX, upon selection of an aircraft, FSX popped up the "End Of Flight window and then folded. Lewis suggested I install FSX Service Pack 1 & 2 (in that order) and then do a re-install of the two A2A products. I did that as described and now FSX will not let me even try to select an aircraft - just pops up the End Of Flight window and shuts down. I am running Windows XP in a PC desktop. I should have enough memory and speed, as FSX has never given me any trouble until now. Any help out there?

Rob Brooke

[Lewis - A2A]

Hello Rob,

i've never heard of this issue before. So lets take the cub out of the equation and keep it standard FSX, with a default aircraft such as the default C172. From the sounds of it I guess you are selecting the aircraft from in game/in flight to get the error. Have you tried just loading using the standard free flight menu, selecting the aircraft, start time, airport etc?

thanks,
Lewis - A2A

[rbrooke]

O.K., things have changed somewhat from the symptoms described in my initial post. I read in another post that (duh!) I should restart Windows after my corrective actions and the symptoms I then experienced were after installing FSX Service Packs and reinstalling the A2A software. Now what I get (after restart) is as follows: I am presented with the aircraft/locale/weather/time modification screen. When I choose the J3 Cub, my local airport, daytime and then click the "Fly Now" button, I get a momentary view out the cockpit windscreen and then the "End Flight" pop up occurs. When I click "Continue Flight", FSX shuts down. When I try again, choosing one of the FSX standard aircraft (Cessna 172), the exact same thing occurs.

[Lewis - A2A]

This is super strange. Ive never heard of FSX acting like this before.

Have you tried turning crash detection off in FSX just in case your default flight is funky and causing a crash within the sim so as soon as it loads you get the end flight pop up?

thanks
Lewis

[Tigerclaw]

Is it possible that you have a stuck "key"?

Failing that, is it possible that the key bindings in FSX have somehow been changed or corrupted? One way to find out is TEMPORARILY move the FSX.cfg to the desktop say, and let FSX build a new one. I think all the key bindings will then be default, and you have to "re-activate" your gauges as and when you use an aircraft, just like it was a new install for that aircraft.

If building a new FSX.cfg doesn't make a difference, you can just put the old one back and continue looking for the fault. If I have problems, moving that file and building a new one is the first thing I do. It gives you a starting point.

If rebuilding works, then you can look through the old one and try to work out what the cause is.

[rbrooke]

Lewis - I tried turning off crash detection. I entered Free Flight and selected the Cessna 172 to stay within the FSX stock aircraft for a check. Same thing happened when I clicked the "Fly Now" button. After scenery loading, etc., the view through the windscreen of the Cessna on the runway comes up with the engine running and the prop turning. After a few seconds, the "End Flight" window pops up. The "View Flight Statistics" view comes up normally and by closing it, I wind up back at the "End Flight" window. Choosing "Continue Flight" gives me the through-windscreen view momentarily and then returns me to the "End Flight" window. I can repeat this a couple of times. A few seconds after the "End Flight" window returns after one of my abortive attempts to Resume flight, FSX shuts down and returns me to the desktop.

[Lewis - A2A]

Hello,

I'd try a complete FSX reinstall at this point. Something is certainly not right and I am also wondering if what Tigerclaw has mentioned is happening. That a control input is being triggered by a rouge mapped key in FSX.

[rbrooke]

Tony - I moved (not copied) fsx.CFG to my desktop and started up FSX. I don't know whether this is the proper way to get FSX to rebuild fsx.CFG or not but this is what I did. The results were even worse. Now, the "End Flight" Window pops up during the loading of scenery data, rather than after the windscreen view comes up. Things are seriously screwed up. Perhaps I shall have to re-install FSX. I hope I have a disc rather than a download. I can see Microsoft giving me a free download after I explain my problems, haw, haw. If I re-install FSX, I will install FSX Service Packs 1 & 2, before attempting to install the A2A stuff. I will give FSX a try with one of its stock aircraft after the FSX install but before I had the Piper J3 stuff..

All unless you have some less arduous stunt for me to try.

[Tigerclaw]

If you moved the FSX.cfg, then you did right. By running FSX without that file in it's location, it forces FSX to make a brand new DEFAULT configuration file. Just like it does the very first time you start FSX. If it is WORSE with that new file, then you definitely have a problem. The "End Flight" default key is the ESC (escape) key. I was wondering if this key was stuck? Have you thoroughly checked your keyboard in something like Notepad? I can't see how a default .cfg file would make things worse, that doesn't make sense to me.
Do you use FSUIPC registered version at all? If you do it might be a key binding in there causing a conflict? The way to check that, is move out the FSUIPC.ini file from the modules folder. You will temporarily lose all the FSUIPC bindings, but it may be worth a try if you use that module.

I'm always reluctant to do a complete re-install of FSX, especially with the amount of addons I have. So must so in fact, I chose to make a clone of the drive once everything major was installed.

[rbrooke]

Tony, thanks for your note. I am not using FSUIPC or re-mapping any of my keys except for Caps Lock, which I re-mapped to act like a Shift key (doesn't everybody do this?). I'm pretty sure I don't have a stuck key and certainly not the Escape key, which behaves perfectly normally in use when required by other software.

I have reviewed the add-on aircraft I have for FSX and have decided there are none which I am unwilling to forget about or to re-install after an FSX rebuild. I will therefore uninstall FSX and re-install it from discs, which I have found along with the key which will permit the install. I will then install FSX Service Pack 1, followed by FSX Service Pack 2. I will then attempt to fly some of the stock FSX aircraft. If that proves that I have a successful re-install and Service Pack additions, I will install A2A's Piper J3 Accusim and Piper J3 aircraft software. Then I'll try to fly it. I'll let you know what happens.

[Tigerclaw]

I don't know if other people re-map the CapsLock key, I know I don't. Its default is, or was, the "Talk" key for multiplayer. I just left mine alone.

It sounds like you have a plan anyway, so I hope it all goes well for you. Personally I would HATE to re-install everything I have. That's why I cloned the disk on a vanilla install, and do regular clones after major installs of scenery. And then again after a few plane installs. I keep about three ISO files so if something goes wrong, I only have to format the drive, install the ISO, and the latest installs. It will save me a whole lot of work